"Born to Be Wild" is a song written by Mars Bonfire and first released as a single by Steppenwolf.

Although the lyrics do not specifically mention motorcycles, the song is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude since being featured in the 1969 film Easy Rider.

Although he initially offered the song to other bands — The Human Expression, for one[8] — "Born to Be Wild" was first recorded by Steppenwolf in a sped-up and rearranged version that AllMusic's Hal Horowitz described as "a roaring anthem of turbo-charged riff rock" and "a timeless radio classic as well as a slice of '60s revolt that at once defines Steppenwolf's sound and provided them with their shot at AM immortality".

[7] "Born to Be Wild" was Steppenwolf's third single off their self-titled debut album and became their signature song, reaching No.

[11] In 2018, the song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a new category for singles.

[39] Other artists that covered this song include Hinder,[40] Etta James,[41] Link Wray,[41] Slade,[42] The Cult,[43] INXS,[41] Ozzy Osbourne with Miss Piggy,[44] Bruce Springsteen,[41] Slayer,[45] Blue Öyster Cult,[41] Status Quo,[41] Fanfare Ciocărlia,[46] Krokus,[47] Wilson Pickett,[41] and La Renga.